Preventing Moisture

• Seized chocolate is a particular concern when using the double boiler method to melt chocolate. Because this method entails melting chocolate in a pot or bowl that sits over a pot half full of simmering water, keeping chocolate clear of steam and condensation is tricky but not impossible. Start with bone-dry implements. Make sure the upper pot of your double boiler or whatever mixing bowl you use fits snugly over the lower portion, allowing no escape of steam. And never let the water reach a boil. Heat it just until faint ribbons of steam rise from it; maintain it at a very low simmer throughout the melting process.

Re-Smoothing Seized Chocolate

• If your chocolate seizes, set the mixing bowl of seized chocolate over the simmering water again. Add simmering water one teaspoon at a time to the chocolate, whisking between each addition until a fluid texture returns. Slightly warmed cream also works.

Food Science: Chocolate and Water

• A small amount of water causes cocoa particles and sugar present in the chocolate to congeal. Refined chocolate is almost completely dry, owing to a multi-step process that removes nearly all moisture from roasted cocoa nibs. Later in the same process, chocolate manufacturers knead the chocolate into homogenous masses and roll these masses inside mills, breaking the chocolate down into particles smaller than the width of a human hair. The addition of cocoa butter and lecithin, an emulsifier, helps to further homogenize the finished product, which is now essentially a uniform suspension of cocoa solids, sugar and fat.

The Direct Heat Method

• Heating chocolate too quickly or scorching it can also cause it to seize. Scorched chocolate tastes unpleasant to some, and it might be best to discard. When using the direct heat method for melting chocolate, keep temperatures low and don't rush. Chop the chocolate into chunks and add it to a heavy saucepan. Set the saucepan atop the stove over the lowest heat setting. Stir the chocolate constantly until all of it is melted. After removing the melted chocolate from the heat source, bring down its temperature by stirring in a few more pieces of solid chocolate.

The Microwave Method

• To melt chocolate in a microwave, add the chopped chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium power in 20- to 30-second increments. Between each increment, remove the bowl and stir the chocolate. Continue to do so until all of the chocolate is just about melted and there are some small chunks remaining. The heat from the melted chocolate alone is sufficient to melt these remaining chunks. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate until the texture is smooth and uniform.